Wrigglefingers

As usual, it will be the last full weekend in April, i.e., April 22-24, 2011. Our web site has now been updated, and I've similarly updated the first post in this thread and the concertina.net Calendar listing. I can come this year! Yay!!!!!!! Book me in Jim, I'll bring a spinning wheel too ..... Edited to add I'm having email problems this evening - will email in the morning when I've got better connection ... sooo excited, off to book flight now and it's at the end of the Easter holiday so I can come early and stay over ..... sooo excited .......

Hmm, well, I do really hope your 'tina is okay. I dropped mine two weeks before Sidmouth last year - she just fell out of her case and crashed onto the metal base plate of my narrowboat. She fell to pieces despite almost breaking the fall with my foot. Although she seemed playable at first (once I'd got handy with the black gaffer tape) it became clear over a week of playing and teaching that she'd was a very poorly concertina indeed. Colin prised my grubby mitts off her at Ed Rennie's Access All Areas day at Cheriton Bishop in October (recommended if I can persuade him to run it this year) and she's come back from her sojourn at Heytesbury a much improved Edeophone. I suppose it's an ill wind that blows sometimes; I was mortified beyond belief and having her back is a joy. Moral of the story ... don't be cavalier with your beloved .....

Hello Tom, Seems like you've answered your own question to me. Go for the best you can afford. Plus, the rosewood looks much nicer! Good luck and best wishes Jill

Yes, Phil I agree, although I've found Denny Bartley's singing to be a bit of an acquired taste. Chris Sherburn is an amazing player if slightly terrifying at times. I have vivid memories of an afternoon workshop spent with a friend run by Chris. She's a good Irish player but very shy and I tend to play English. At the time, I couldn't play by ear at all. Needless to say, we provided Chris with most of his feedlines. I'd say go and see them anytime, they're always worth it. We'll see them at Uley in March and are really looking forward to it. Jill

I did, I did! Finger is returning to normal size and I can flex it now. Elly, on the other hand (ho, ho, ho) appears to be dead this morning even after good prodding! J PS I'll try singing to her next - that should work!

Thanks Hilary, the car door is fine. Looking at the gap between the two I can't believe I managed to get my finger wedged in at all. The reason Elly is laughing is because she's drunk the wine I think (it was her birthday yesterday so birthday dinner this evening). Seventeen year olds eh?

And I bet the dog's head was just fine too. Looking forward to the tea and toast but Elly's still laughing and obviously when I feel this sorry for myself I just can't make it myself. Actually, as it's evening here, I was fantasising about some red wine but for the pain killers.....

Actually it was a Norman .... still a lovely instrument (though I've since sold it to finance a future acquisition ... ). Samantha See next posting - it's not a good day!

My name is Jill Shepherd and I am a bit dim at times. I managed to severely damage my right thumb in the summer by trapping it between a mooring rope and a metal bollard with an 19 tonne narrowboat pulling on the line. It got better eventually and I started playing again after six weeks lay-off (play English so these things matter). It's now pretty much pain-free all of the time. In fact, I mentioned how much better it was to Ellen after Morris practice last night. So it's bit upsetting to have to tell that this morning (after a very pleasant cup of tea and slice of marmity toast) I rushed out to the car to get to school, shouting at Elly to hurry up and the cats to get back in the house, slung my laptop in, juggled with the bag and threw my BIG tray of marked projects on the back seat; at the same time I pushed the sliding back door shut and ........... trapped my middle right finger in between two doors on the knuckle. It's painful, it's skinned and it has a horrible bruise on it and it doesn't bend very well any more. It isn't broken but I am feeling very sorry for myself. Please sympathise; it drowns out Elly telling me how thick I am.

Congratulations, Charlotte, and ENJOY! I tried Sam's at Arran and it was lovely (and a completely different system to mine too) Looking forward to hearing you play at the SSI; you are going aren't you? Jill That's Sam's Marcus I might add!

No problem - just wait for the heart attack! Triple Chocolate Cheese Cake Ingredients 180g Digestive biscuits (you could increase this quantity as you wish) 90g butter or margarine 200g white chocolate 200g milk chocolate 200g bitter (plain/dark) chocolate (best with at least 70% cocoa solids) ¾ pt double cream (or crème fraîche) 300g full fat cream cheese 300g mascarpone cheese Method 1 Make the biscuits into crumbs (place in plastic bag and crush or bash with rolling pin; it’s great for releasing tension!). Mix with the melted butter/margarine. Press into the bottom of a greased dish or tin (a spring release one is best if you intend to serve this to nice people in civilised surroundings). Place in the fridge to chill. 2 Mix together the cream and mascarpone cheeses until well blended and soft. Divide into three equal portions in separate bowls. 3 Whisk the cream until thick and add in equal portion to each of the bowls. 4 Carefully beat together the cream and cheeses. 5 Melt the chocolate and mix well with the cream cheese mixture. 6 Pour over the biscuit base, and roughly mix together to give a marbled effect, smooth and place in the fridge to set. You could set it in layers but that’s dull in my opinion. If this makes it to the table, cut it in small portions as it is staggering rich, however, in our house it just doesn’t make it there very often. Feel free to modify the dish in any way you like and you can be a bit slapdash with the measuring too as it's very flexible recipe; it just wouldn't set in quite the same way. You could substitute all sorts of worthy ingredients like low fat cheese and half-fat biscuits but what would be the point of that eh? love, Jill PS Enjoy...... but don't play your box at the same time as it's a bugger to get out of the bellows!

My brain is not big enough to understand you remark completely, but.. if you mean the Recorded Tunes Link Page, just look and click on my signature (below) Do you know, Henk, I've spent the most fascinating hour trying to find the thread by searching and eventually just decided to browse through the old threads. It's just amazing to consider the breadth and complexity of the issues we discuss here. Still can't find the thread I mean, but I know it's there. It was just a list of players we liked and cds available. Still the Recorded Tunes Link is brilliant too! Charlotte, it occurred to me that you may not know that there is a multitude of sheet music available for free download. I'll try and put some links together for you if you read music. Jill

Delighted to have joined too! Will bring the chocolate cheesecake to SSI if some one reminds me! Jill

Dear Everybody Just to let you know that I've moved and am on-line again after a tricky few months. My apologies to all of you who've tried to contact me and not received any kind of communication (grovel, grovel). S'good to be back though and it's open house at mine! Jill

Hello and Welcome Charlotte, I can only endorse Jim's comments about the SSI in late May - it's just a brilliant weekend. We're a happy, friendly bunch here on CNet so don't hesitate to ask and remember to listen to other players on CD as well as doing the frantic practising! We ran a thread on our favourite players a while ago and Henk (who has a bigger brain than me) can help you find it (thanks Henk!). If you can travel to England there's a number of concertina-based workshop weekends running through the year. I found the West Country Concertina weekends really helpful and there's one at the end of March. Try the International Concertina Association website for details of more. ICA link Good luck and hope to see you in Dalby in May. Regards, Jill

Interesting vibrato though - a fair bit more radical than a washing machine..........

Me too! Playing in threes is definitely fun too, fours is brilliant and so, before I get carried away with the numbers, welcome to the forum. In fact you could join Henk's big band and play with us all! It was delightful to meet you both; and I hope to see you again next year. Regards, Jill

Yup, it was an epic journey home too....... If it hadn't been for Hilary I wouldn't have been typing at 1.30 am this morning or indeed this! The ferry was diverted from Ardrossan to Gourock because the weather was a little inclement, thus causing a major fret when I asked the question "will I make my flight at 9o/c from Glasgow?" The answer was the equally pithy "weeell, (sucked teeth for added effect) you're f*%£ed without a lift to the airport". In the face of a howling wind and a near howling Jill, Hilary kindly took me to the airport (she's a star and a fantastic singer), I made the flight and thus was able to bore the students rigid with the tale today. Oh, and the plane was two hours delayed and the secure carpark had closed at Bristol. I loved Arran but I was so pleased to see Bath again. Right, I'm off to find my camera now and I'll post any usable photos. Jill

Just back from Arran after an epic weekend. Many thanks to Samantha and everyone. I had the best time and will post photos tomorrow. Jill

1.. 2.. a 1, 2, 3, 4! Jill (sorry, it was really funny in my head!)

Chris, I make it 37.28%, could your rounding technique be causing this shocking error? On the bank robbery front; loads of kids round by here who could help, you don't often need to ask. Some of them really like the sound of my Edeophone too! Jill

Hey Arran 'Tinists I'm beginning to feel left out here! I'll be on the 20.30 sailing, so will I be running a single woman session in the bar? Jill

So Chris tells me! But are there any going? Jill

It's the usual question a week before a festival. I've never been to Towersey before so I'm assuming there'll be some sort of sessions somewhere ... but where? and is anybody else going or will I be totally surrounded by melodeonists and other blokes with beards (although it's the women with beards that really frighten me!) Regards, Jill

It's not just a male experience either. My hearing is shot at the top end, caused largely, I suspect, to habitually standing next to the bass bins at gigs. Conversation is difficult with background noise and I now avoid going to the pub as I haven't a clue what's going on most of the time. Although that may not be only be due to hearing loss......... Incidentally there was an article on women's voices and the male response to them on Womans' Hour on Radio 4 today; this is the link. Jill